Riding high

Deepshikha Pasari's association with horses goes back a long way. She remembers being taken, as a young girl, to the stables by Chandrakant Pasari, her father, to be near the animals. "My family has always been passionate about horses. I even recall the polo games that my father took me to during the winters. It's only natural that I would be into equestrian sport," says the 21-year-old student of Warwick University, UK, who has been a member of the Calcutta Polo Club for a year now.

Even though Pasari understood little of what was going on in the field, she did love those childhood experiences. "I have always enjoyed sport and this seemed very unique. I was motivated to soak in the thrill of polo," she says. "A few of us took up horse riding last year, to experience what it was like. Our coach, Narpat Singh, told us a lot about the sport and his experiences as a polo player. We got better every day. He would also make us practise a few shots of polo, which would drive us to ride and play better and work harder."

Pasari sees polo as a game involving skill, understanding, risk, speed and brilliance. "Every time I ride a horse for a game of polo, it is a different experience altogether," she says. This youngster gets ample support from her family and friends. "They are very proud of me and feel it's a great sport to be involved with. Polo is considered to be one of the oldest and fastest team games in the world, albeit a bit dangerous." Pasari used to be scared of falling off her horse, too. "But after falling down a couple of times I realised how well-trained the horses are. They would stop the moment I fell. I'm not that scared anymore," she says.

Pasari took part in her first polo event last month, at the Calcutta Polo Club. "I was very excited. The club is possibly the venue to host the Polo World Cup 2012," she says. We certainly hope to her there.

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